‘My son saw fit to join them. Become one of them. It was bad enough him handling their legal affairs, but I let that slide because he was getting on with a life that didn’t encroach on ours, even if he was just a little too close. Closer than he should have been. But now – now he’s humiliated me, and this club. I can’t let that go. And the Lone Riders, they need to pay, for taking him in. For allowing him to become one of them. And what better punishment than to take away from them everything they’ve worked for? Taking over their patch, it’ll be a nice little sideline for us, it being so close and all. And should you survive any – repercussions, shall we say, then it would cut your workload down considerably, wouldn’t you agree? One less headache for you to worry about. You’ll no longer need to split your loyalties.’ Hector smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘See? Every situation has a positive side. And now that I hear the Lone Riders have acquired all that land to the back of their compound – thanks to my son, I gather, in his former guise as a lawman…’ Hector broke off, a low chuckle escaping. ‘My son. The lawman.’ He looked up at Michael, his expression once more turning cold. ‘Is he coming to me, Sheriff?’
‘Don’t do this, Hector. Again, I am begging you, let’s all just try and…’
‘What do you want here, huh? Shall we all sit round in a semi-circle and talk about our problems? You know how this works, Michael. The fact you’re caught between the two clubs, that’s your own problem. It has nothing to do with me. That’s your own shit. But this - this is happening. You try and stop it, you get the cops involved, and everything you’ve ever known will come crashing down around you in a way you couldn’t even begin to imagine. Do you understand? Sheriff.’ Hector’s eyes grew darker, narrowing to thin slits as his stare deepened. ‘And don’t even think about giving the Lone Riders a heads-up. I’ll know, if you even try I’ll know.’ He backed off slightly, but his eyes remained fixed on the sheriff. ‘Now, have you spoken to my son or not?’
Michael felt a chill run up his spine and he quickly swallowed down a wave of nausea. What the fuck kind of shit had he gotten himself into here? ‘I’ve told him he needs to talk to you. What else do you want me to do? Drag him here myself?’
‘If that’s what it takes.’
‘Jesus!’ Michael’s laugh was humorless. ‘All this time, all those years he was away you let this go. Ever since he turned up back in Paradise you’ve let this go. And now you want to resurrect all that crap?’
‘He’s one of them now.’
‘And we both know that isn’t the real issue here. He knows too much, he has the ability to bring you down, and you know that…’
‘Sol won’t settle until he’s dealt with.’ Hector’s voice was slow and steady, his tone letting Michael know he wasn’t interested in anything he had to say.
‘Bullshit!’ But Michael wasn’t going to be beaten down that easily, even though the look Hector gave him sent another shiver up his spine. ‘This has got nothing to do with Sol. He’s been fine, somehow he found a way to move on. This is to do with you, Hector. Because you know that every minute Ben is still here is a minute closer to the real truth being exposed, because, unlike me, he isn’t willing to keep his mouth shut. He isn’t a fucking coward. So don’t even pretend you’re doing this for Sol.’
‘He needs his revenge.’ Hector’s voice was calm and controlled, a stone-cold edge to it that turned Michael’s heart to ice.
‘This isn’t about revenge, Hector. Ben did nothing, except take the rap for something you did so if anyone’s looking for revenge, it should be him.’ Michael shook his head, backing further away from Hector. ‘Maybe you should be the one watching your back, huh?’
‘Benjamin should never have come back to this town.’ Hector’s tone had turned threatening, and even colder than before; so very, very cold. ‘You should have been more persuasive, Michael. You should have made sure he stayed away.’
‘You don’t think I tried?’
‘Not hard enough.’ Hector’s eyes once more met Michael’s, the look he gave the Sheriff enough to send a fresh wave of pure fear washing over him, the sense of foreboding overwhelming. ‘So, if we’re going to apportion blame here, maybe we should be looking to pin some of that on you.’
Michael held Hector’s gaze, unwilling to let the Dark Angels’ president intimidate him any more. That would be a mistake he may never recover from. ‘Just think about it, Hector. Please. Think about what you’re doing; think about the consequences because nobody - nobody needs what you’re about to do; this town, it really doesn’t need that.’
But even as he spoke the words, Michael knew it was a plea that was falling on deaf ears. And there wasn’t a thing he could do to change that.
***
Ben ran the clippers slowly over his head, watching in the mirror as strands of dark hair fell down onto his naked shoulders. It was a subtle transformation, but losing that small amount of hair and going back to the much shorter buzz-cut he’d had all those years ago, it was the only way he could leave Ben Salter, lawyer, behind. Because that’s what he had to do now. He had to forget who he was, and remember who he’d used to be. It was the only way he could do this.
He continued to stare at his reflection. Despite the change being subtle, it was still a touch startling, because he hadn’t worn his hair like this for so long.
‘What’re you doing?’
He heard her voice, but he didn’t turn around, just continued to stare into the mirror, his eyes expressionless as he willed that person he needed to be now back from the shadows.
‘Your hair…’ Mia whispered, coming up behind him, gently brushing the loose strands that were still lying on his shoulders onto the floor, letting her fingers run down over his arms, skimming the scars that were always going to be a reminder of what had happened at the compound just a few weeks ago, when he’d dragged Coby Walker from a burning clubhouse.
Still Ben didn’t speak. He had nothing to say, this was just what he had to do. His own way of dealing with whatever lay ahead.
He closed his eyes as he felt her touch his back, her fingertips lightly tracing the ink that covered most of it, slowly and carefully following the outline of the Dark Angels MC tattoo. A badge of honor. One that was usually ripped from the skin of anyone who betrayed the club. But Ben knew why his was still intact; why he’d been allowed to keep it. ‘This is to do with your dad, isn’t it?’
Ben reached behind him, pulling her hand away from his back. And still he remained silent.
‘You’re scaring me now, Ben.’
He swung around, his eyes wide and cold. That edge he needed was slowly returning, and he suddenly felt filled with a power he hadn’t experienced in so long. Too long. And the feeling was almost addictive. ‘I’ve told you, there’s nothing to be scared of.’
She looked up at him, and for one brief, fleeting moment he wished they could just pack a bag and run, far away from here and everything that was returning to haunt him. But what good would that do? This would only follow them, find them, destroy them, eventually. So he had to deal with it. End it. Forever. No matter what Coby said, he had his own, personal score to settle. And he wasn’t about to let his father win whatever game he was about to start.
‘It’s gonna be OK, Mia, do you hear me?’ He reached out to cup her cheek, his tone softening slightly, but he resisted the urge to kiss her. If he kissed her he’d weaken, and any ounce of weakness was dangerous now.
She nodded slowly, resting her hand lightly over his.
He let go of her, turning back around to look at his reflection, running a hand over his newly-shaven hair. With his beard also trimmed slightly, the transformation was almost complete. Ben Salter was slowly disappearing, and Benjamin Almeda was taking his place – the only man who could fight his father.
‘What’s going on, Ben?’
He was so focused on what he was doing he’d forgotten she was still there. Turning back around he let his eyes meet hers, his expression impassive as
he stared at her. She was so beautiful; his beautiful, damaged girl. And once all this shit was dealt with, he was going to make sure their life together was a good one. A safe one. Because, right now, he just couldn’t guarantee that.
‘I asked you to trust me, Mia. And I really need you to do that, to trust me. To let me do what needs to be done.’
‘And what does need to be done, Ben?’ Her voice had risen an octave or two, an obvious frustration taking over, and he didn’t blame her. What did he think she was going to do? Mia Rose wasn’t the kind of girl to just roll over and take whatever crap he fed her. But this time – this time he really needed her to try and do that. To trust him. To not interfere, because, when all was said and done, he was doing this for her. For them. For Coby and Lexi – for everyone’s future. For the future he wanted with Mia because, if he left this alone, if he didn’t do this, he couldn’t be sure they’d even have one.
‘Just trust me, Mia. Please. Don’t ask any questions, don’t try and stop me, just trust me. I’m dealing with it.’
‘You’re shutting me out. We promised each other we wouldn’t…’
‘Yes, I’m shutting you out, and I’m doing that because bringing you in…’ He stopped talking, running a hand over his head. ‘Don’t fight this, Mia. Don’t.’ His eyes locked with hers, but she was backing away from him now, and he felt his heart crack. But these were emotions he had to shut down, he had to lose them, push them away until this was done. ‘Just trust me, Mia. Please.’
She shook her head, her arms folded across her chest as she backed further towards the bedroom door. And the second she was gone Ben closed his eyes and let out the longest, deepest breath.
The fight was about to begin.
Eight
‘You should be taking it easy. I think you forget it was only a few weeks ago you were in hospital.’
‘Enough, Lexi, OK? I’m fine.’ She stood in the doorway of the chapel, a concerned look on her pretty face. But Coby didn’t need concern. And he didn’t need her here, bitching about shit. He just needed some space, to think. ‘I’m fine, all right?’
‘Really? Only, that raspy cough you keep hacking every now and again would kind of tell me otherwise. You’re still recovering, Coby. I don’t know why you don’t let Kip take over for a while, then you could spend some time at home, get some proper rest.’
‘Come on, darlin’, you’re making me sound like an ageing invalid.’ He got up from the table, walking over to her, tucking a finger under her chin and tilting her face up so she looked right at him. ‘Do you think this place would be back up and running so quickly if I’d taken time away from here? Do you think this club would have been functioning again in a matter of days if I’d stayed in bed like a model patient?’
‘Oh, you’ll never be that, Coby, believe me.’ She threw him a half smile, closing her eyes as he kissed her gently. ‘I just worry about you. You’re not as young as you used to be.’
‘Jesus, Lex, way to go making a man feel good about himself.’
‘Something’s going on, Cobe. I’m not stupid.’
Sometimes he wished she were. It would make his life a whole lot less of a bitch than it was right now. ‘Nothing’s going on, I…’
She shook her head, backing away from him slightly, folding her arms back against herself. ‘Oh no. Don’t you dare say “I promise”. Don’t do that.’
Coby shrugged, a confused look on his face. Lexi just threw her head back and laughed, a short, almost manic laugh.
‘You really think I don’t know what you’re doing? I mean, yeah, it was naïve of me to think you’d be happy about taking a step back over Shane, but I thought you’d at least try and do that, for me. For Ozzie…’
‘I tried, Lexi, believe me, darlin’, but I can’t let it go. I can’t do that, sweetheart. I tried, but I can’t do it.’
‘Then I really was naïve, wasn’t I?’
Coby moved closer, reaching out to touch her but she swiped his hand away. ‘Come on, kid…’
‘You promised me, Coby. You promised me you wouldn’t do this; you’d let Michael and the police deal with it, that’s what you said. You promised me.’
‘And I’m sorry, baby, I am. I’m sorry. But he needs to be dealt with, our way.’
‘Our way? So, what? When – if you find him what exactly are you gonna do?’ A cynical laugh dripped from her lips. ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot. Need to know basis, huh? Because you don’t even stop to think about the shit this puts me through. Or any of the other old ladies who have to sit there day after day, night after night, wondering what the hell kind of fucked-up danger you’re putting yourselves in.’
‘And you’ve lived this fucking life long enough to know how to deal with that, Lexi.’
She stared at him, breathing in deep, anger creeping in. ‘We were over that. We were getting somewhere, Coby; moving away from the crap and the…’
‘Jesus, take the fucking rose-tinted glasses off, darlin’. You want some kind of happy-ever-after? You go find your Prince Charming some place else because this isn’t gonna have a fairytale ending. This is real, and it’s messed-up, and yes, it’s fucking dangerous because we are dealing with a man who has no morals. No boundaries. A man who wants you, Lexi, and you think I can just sit back and let him get away with what happened, knowing that?’
‘You could try.’ Her voice was quieter now, but its tone still verged on icy.
‘Trying didn’t work… Look, Lexi, it’s gonna be OK…’
‘No. No, don’t say that. Don’t even try and make me believe that, because that’s just cruel. You don’t know if it’s gonna be OK any more than I do. So don’t stand there and try and pacify me with a throwaway line you don’t even believe yourself. You do what you want, whatever you have to, but just know that I don’t want any part of it. I don’t want you to do it, I don’t even want him dead. The only thing I want is you, alive. I want you safe. And you can’t promise me that.’
‘Lexi!’
But she was out of there, striding down the corridor, her breath coming out in short, sharp bursts as she tried to calm down. Was she really going to kid herself she hadn’t seen this coming? Was she really that naïve?
Heading back into the clubhouse, she found Mia at one of the tables by the bar, staring down into a mug of coffee.
‘Hey. Everything all right?’ It didn’t look like it was, and in a strange way Lexi was glad about that. But only because there was nothing like someone else’s problems to make you forget about your own, even if it was just for a little while.
Mia looked up, blinking a couple of times, as though she’d been in some kind of dream state and was now desperately trying to pull herself back to reality. ‘Sorry? Oh, yeah. Yeah, everything’s just fine.’
‘You sure about that?’ Lexi sat down opposite her, gently pulling the mug of coffee from Mia’s grasp. ‘Only, this is stone cold, and you don’t seem to have drunk a drop. And that look on your face kind of tells me everything isn’t OK. Something happened with Ben?’
Mia’s eyes briefly dipped to the table top before she raised her gaze to meet Lexi’s. ‘Has he been acting strange to you?’
Lexi frowned. ‘Strange? How do you mean?’
‘I dunno.’ Mia shrugged, staring back down at the table. ‘I mean, I’ve known he’s had something on his mind for a while now…’
‘Before or after he joined the Lone Riders? As a brother, I mean.’
‘Before. But it’s got worse now, Lex. Over the past few weeks he just seems to have changed. Not much, to begin with, and I just put it down to the fact he’s had a real shift in circumstance lately. I mean, meeting me, what happened with Coby and the fire – going back to the life of a biker when he’d all but left that behind. That must have affected him in some way. But recently his moods have gotten darker…’
‘Darker?’ Lexi’s voice carried more than a hint of concern, given what Mia had already been through.
‘No, I didn’t mean it like that,
’ Mia said, vigorously shaking her head. ‘I meant, he has these moods, times when he goes all quiet. When he wants to be alone. And he won’t talk to me like he used to. I know – I know we haven’t been together all that long, but we used to talk, all the time, about everything; moving in together, our future… And then… this morning I find him in front of the mirror, staring into it like he’s in a trance. He was shaving his hair down to a buzz-cut, I mean, what made him do that? He wouldn’t talk to me when I asked what was going on, not at first, but even when he did… He’s shutting me out, Lexi, and I’m scared. Because something’s going on, and I think it has to do with his dad. His family. Something to do with the Dark Angels, and I’m scared.’
Lexi breathed out a heavy sigh. Shit really was hitting the fan from all angles today. ‘Look, Mia, I could sit here and tell you it’s all gonna be OK, but I know for a fact you’re not gonna believe that. You’re Charlie’s daughter, just like me, and you know when something’s not right.’
‘What do I do?’ Mia whispered. ‘What the fuck am I supposed to do?’
‘The only thing you can do. You sit tight, and you wait for the storm to blow over.’
***
Ben sat on the wall outside the garage, sharpening a small flick knife on the brickwork.
‘You’ll blunt it, if you carry on like that.’ Luca reached down and took the knife from Ben’s hand, turning it over and checking it out. ‘Nice tool. You carrying it around for a reason?’
Ben grabbed the knife back, shoving it in the top pocket of his cut. ‘None of your business.’ He lit up a cigarette, drawing deep.
‘What crawled up your ass this morning? And what’s with the new look?’
Ben eyed Luca warily, taking another draw on his cigarette. ‘Like I said, none of your business.’
‘Y’know, you might want to lose a bit of the attitude there, brother. You’re one of us now, but nobody wants to see a cocky, arrogant dick walking around like he owns the joint. Especially when he’s still, technically, the new boy.’
Resurrection (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 3) Page 5
